


Cowboys are gay. That's just how it is.

by Pames_Jatterson



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Cowboy Hats, F/M, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Meet-Cute, POV Multiple, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pames_Jatterson/pseuds/Pames_Jatterson
Summary: After being thrown out of his body due to unforseen circumstances, Nick ends up meeting who but the bassist of his ex-crushes band. After their strange meeting, Nick decides he needs to fix his own life before things can go too far and maybe he falls a little bit in love on the way.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Nick/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	1. In which a pairing meets

Of all the things Nick had been expecting to happen today, being thrown into darkness after watching the coolest performance of his life was not very high up there. Sure, he’d expected the cool performance, plus his dad had taken him to buy flowers for Julie. After he had gotten his dad’s to drive him to the Molina’s and rung the doorbell, best case he expected she’d laugh and smile and take the flowers, worst case she’d take this as another advance and send him away.

Of course, lots of other things could’ve happened that he couldn’t be fully bothered to think out how they’d go. However, fully blinking out of existence for the rest of the day and waking up on the beachfront with someone staring into his face wasn’t anywhere on the list. 

“Hello?” The person leant above him stood fully up and took a step back. “Oh, phew, you’re awake!” Then, said person reached a hand down to Nick. (who was now acutely aware of the fact that he was sitting on the ground)

Nick took his hand, and after being pulled up and smiling, both of their faces shifted. "Julie's bassist?" "Nick?" 

Both stared bewildered at the other. "Are you dead?" Reggie blurted. Nick blinked. "I don't think so? I mean nothing deadly happened to me. I don't think." After a pause, he squinted into the bassists eyes. "Why would I be dead?" 

Reggie clasped his hands together. "Well, seeing as you're talking to me." He tilted his head. "But you were at Julie's last night. Did you die last night? That sounds really sad. I mean not as bad as some other ways you could-" He pursed his lips, seeing the way Nick's eyebrows were furrowed and he kept glancing around.

The two stood in silence for a moment, Nick with his thoughts spinning like cotton candy, Reggie playing with a pin he had on his shirt. Nick finally locked eyes with him again. 

"Are you dead?" He finally said, in a shocked whisper. Reggie nodded. "Yeah, it's a pretty cool story actually, since you're probably wondering how Julie's bandmate is dead." Nick gave a dumb nod.

"I guess you csn sit back down, since the stories also a bit long. I can sit next to you though. If you'd like." Nick sat criss-cross applesauce on the ground and stared expectantly. Reggie swelled with vague pride at getting to be the first to get to explain everything that happened to somebody. "Well let me set the scene! 1995, a crisp summer day, and 4 amazingly attractive young men with musical instruments." 

After what had to be hours of him explaining, (with an occasional sidetrack, such as him feeling the need to sing the entirety of home is where my horse is, and acting out some of Luke's expressions) he smiled at the ginger next to him. "And that's about it." Nick tapped his fingers together for a moment before quietly saying, "wow." Reggie smiled wider. "I know, right?" 

Nick wasn't sure how to react, to be honest. First of all, there's a chance he's dead (which is all around concerning.) and second of all, now he's left with nothing to say to the freckled dude in front of him. 

"So. I like your pin." Nick figured that was a safe, non-self-freak-out-ing thing to say. "Aw, thanks! Julie made it for me." The pin, round and shiny, was a cowboy hat with little rainbow stars around it. It's cute for sure, but now that he has his eyes trained on it, Nick can place the background colors as a sunset-ish bi flag.

Before Nick can bother to say something else equally un-conversation-starting, Reggie stands up. "It was nice to oficially meet you, Nick, but I should probably get back before Luke gives himself ghost acne from worrying about me." After offering up another kind smile, Reggie turned around. 

"Wait, uh!" Nick calles out before Reggie could walk away. "Would you mind. Maybe not telling your bandmates about this? If I'm." He swallowed breifly. "Dead. I'd rather everyone find out normally, is that chill?" Reggie nodded. "Until next time if there is one!" 

And with that Reggie was gone, leaving Nick with way more thoughts than when he was just lying on the beach ground and unaware of everything. At any rate, he had lots to think about, and that included finding out if he was actually dead. Maybe it's about time he paid his house a visit.


	2. The boys r confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't quite seem to add up, what with Nick being "dead" and all.

The Danforth-Evans house is normally a not very quiet place, so coming in in the middle of the night, when everyone is asleep was an unusual feeling to say the least. His room was seemingly empty, and all the lights were off, so he decides it's fine to look around. 

His dads were curled together on their bed, his sister was lying atop ber blanket wearing a princess gown and everything was for the most part clean. It all seems normal, if you ignore the fact he's not there. So it seems to Nick that he must not be dead, seeing as how his window is opened and the fact his dad can't sleep if bad things happen. 

While that may have gone unsolved for now, he stares out the opened window down to the driveway and sighs. Since he's here, he thinks he should be allowed a costume change at the very least. 

Honestly, Reggie wasn't sure what was going on. After they'd all hugged and cried and hugged and laughed, Julie had gone and gotten changed while the three of them talked quietly about what they thought had just happened. 

Reggie realised the three of them definitely weren't going to agree, he went to see if Julie was having a post performance treat. (And if she wasn't, he'd urge her to do so, as he had learned during their book-club days that pastries taste the best after playing your heart out.)

Rather than her being on her phone or something like he'd expected to find her, he saw she was standing in the living room holding a bouquet. Also someone else, Nick (?) was there talking to her. 

After considering his options, he walked up next to her and stood there. She let Nick finish his sentence before saying, "Well, I'm feeling a bit hungry, you want anything?" Nick smirked in a mildly sinister way. 

"No, I'd better be going anyway. Good night, Julie." And with that he kissed her hand and turned around to walk down the driveway path. 

Julie stared out at the door for a bit and then spun back to Reggie. "Hey, Reggie, did you want something?" Reggie smiled. "Yeah! Have you had a snack? If you haven't I recommend cookies! Or brownies! Or lemon bars!" 

Julie chuckled. "Okay sure." She glanced back towards the door while walking over to the cabinet to grab whatever such treat she'd chosen. 

"That was uh, Nick? Right?" Julie nodded and turned around with a handful of oreos. "Yeah. He came over to congratulate me on playing the Orpheum. So sweet." Reggie bored holes into the flowers with his eyes for a while before shaking his head to clear it. "Well you probably have your own things to do, I'm gonna go on a walk." 

He waved bye to Julie and then poofed out the house. It's nice to know Julie has friends who're so nice, he figured. Which had made it all the more strange when he ran into that same Nick on the beachfront. 

But he didn't seem quite the same? He talked a lot less.. formal? And there was definitely something different in his eyes. Whatever was going on, Reggie promised himself he needed to find out more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😐✌


	3. May the shenanagins begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick has a present!! And an awkward encounter!! Good for him

Reggie hadn't exactly expected Nick to be there on the beach again. He was just going on another walk. That's all. Of course, he wasn't upset when he looked over and saw Nick sitting by a tree.

"Nick?" Reggie shouted, waving both his hands when the other boy looked up. Nick smiled and clutched the bag next to him. "Hey Reggie!" He beamed and waved his hand in return as he walked towards him. 

Reggie realized he was still waving, which probably meant he'd been waving for too long and put his hands into his pockets. "So what're you doing back-" 

Yeah he wasn't listening. He hadn't looked up, at least. Reggie scanned his eyes over the bag nick was digging through and smiled at the pink star on the pocket. Right when he was about to comment on the sticker, Nick shouted, "Yo I got this for you! Well I already had it. But I brought it for you." 

Nick dropped his bag and pulled his hands behind his back. With another step forward, Reggie found himself with a cowboy hat on his head and someone very close to his face tightening the chin strap. 

The ginger put one onto his own head and stepped back. (accompanied by a strutted out foot and a pair of jazz hands) With an unmatchably big smile, Nick said, "Do you like it?" 

After an attempt to make eye contact, Reggie turned bright red and stepped back. "I'm, uh, late for rehearsal!" And with that he vanished away. Nick would really have to ask how he did that at some point. 

Alex isn't used to anyone but him being late to rehearsal, really. He hangs out with Willie sometimes, is a little late and gets teased about it. So Reggie being late to rehearsal is definitely new. Now, under normal circumstances he'd assume that Reggie had just gotten distracted on his walk and ended up late, but the looking down combined with blushing and the cowboy hat made him think it was something else.

"Hey, Reg, something happen?" He offered up a kind smile while Reggie grabbed his bass. "No, nothing, nothing." That came out as a somewhat strained whisper, so it's a lie.   
"You sure?" Beside him, Luke's eyebrows wrinkled. Reggie nodded and let out a breath. " 'S'all cool. What song are we doing again?" Alex and Luke locked eyes and Alex shrugged. Julie walked in and smiled. "I miss anything, boys?" 

Luke shook his head. "Fraid so boss." Julie rolled her eyes before adjusting her mic. "Well then lets get to practicing!"

Nick was confused to say the least. He'd had a cowboy hat on his pin, from what he recalled, so it didn't make sense that he wouldn't like it. The ginger's thoughts started swirling as he walked down the street. Maybe he should just shake his thoughts and go back to chilling on the beach?

Of course, that thought was violently interrupted when his foot got ran over by a long haired skateboarder. "Ow!" He glanced down the street, at the person who had stopped skating and glanced back. "Watch when you're skating! You ran over my foot!" 

He paused. "You ran over my foot. Are you dead?" Nick called over to the person who was now holding their board and walking towards him. 

"Sorry. I thought my board would go thr-" The skater paused as he seemingly recognized Nick. "I've.. Gotta go." He dropped his skateboard and kicked off, poofing off about halfway down the sidewalk. 

Nick was arguably more confused now. He walked back to the beach and sat down. Maybe Reggie will come on another walk near here tomorrow?

**Author's Note:**

> I promise cowboy shenanigans will happen soon 😔😔🤠🤠 (Yell at me on tumblr @ Pamesjatterson)


End file.
